Facebook HACKED – 500 Million users affected!
This morning I got a call from one of my clients.
They could no longer access their Facebook and worse yet, they could no longer reset the password using the email that the account was setup with many years ago.
To make matters even more difficult, the account is tied to other social media accounts and their professional pages on Facebook and Instagram.
This is one of those moments, as a consultant, that gets MY tummy in knots.
I did my best to try and recover that account, but since the hackers got control of it, they removed my client’s email and replaced it with one of their own, and changed the password to lock it. Then they hid the account so that one cannot report that the account was hacked using the normal Facebook tools.
I was just as powerless as my client and I have successfully recovered accounts and devices for clients even using remote tools to get them back.
As this is affecting my clients on an immediate basis, I am providing steps to take IMMEDIATELY to secure your Facebook account and other Social Media accounts.
- Go to Facebook NOW and make sure that you can get in.
- Click in the upper right down facing arrow icon
- Click SETTINGS & PRIVACY
- Click SETTINGS
- Click EDIT on the CONTACT LINE
Make sure that your email is current and correct
- If you have a secondary email, add that at the bottom
- If you do not have a secondary email, create one at gmail or yahoo NOW so that there are options to get back into your account if it gets hacked.
- Add your phone number and verify that with a text message if you have not already done so. This will aid if the account gets stolen.
- Now is the time to CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD!!
- If you are using a password manager, go to that program and create a SECURE password.
- You can change it by doing either of the following:
- Clicking on SECURITY AND LOGIN and then CHANGE PASSWORD
OR
-
- Logging out of facebook and then clicking FORGOT PASSWORD and getting the email link in to your current email box
- DO NOT USE A PREVIOUSLY USED PASSWORD OR ONE THAT IS EASILY GUESSED.
- I suggest using combos of letters and numbers and hyphens (tyhi-$5k*-48%) as an example of what is secure. Make up your own or use your password manager to create one.
- Confirm the new password
- If you DID forget the password, click “Forgot Password” on that screen and follow the directions.
- Under SETTING UP EXTRA SECURITY:
- Make sure that “Get alerts about unrecognized logins” is ON
- Choose 3 to 5 friends to contact if you get locked out.
Now get to your BANKING FIRST and then your Social Media accounts starting with Instagram and Twitter and do the same if you have used the same passwords on those accounts.
Simple and easy to guess passwords will compromise your ability to keep your money and accounts safe online.
Also, you folks know I am a stickler for computer security. Make sure your antivirus is up to date and can stop any threats from email, websites and other common locations of infections that can provide hackers a source of income.
If you have any questions, give me a call as soon as possible.
Scott (760) 550-9496